Don’t let the band moniker or album title put you off. What sounds like a recording by a hardcore punk band is actually a English-Swedish avant-jazz trio that mix a raw volatile energy with a very non-punk-like sophisticated guile, spiky with a soft underbelly. Following a self-titled debut on UK’s Edition in 2018 and a second, Vermillion, on ECM in 2020, ENEMY raise the standards on their third release to date. They’re the kind of band they’ve said that “doesn't really rehearse, play a lot live, take risks, are always writing new music, always playing as fresh as possible” - the last part comes across clearly to listeners.

The brief hypnotic opener ‘Croydon Smash’ joins up Downes’ ghostly melodic loop, Eldh’s overt bass with the unassumingly versatile James Maddren’s imaginatively effervescent electronica-inspired beats that are inspired as much by titular Croydon-based grime, J Dilla and Squarepusher as say Max Roach and Jack DeJohnette.

Other highights include Eldh’s ‘Neglecting Number One’ that mixes folk-ish melody with clattering 20th-century concert music-like motifs. There are inevitable comparisons with the quirkily organic melding of alt. rock, angular classical and percussive electronica created by piano trio The Bad Plus in their prime. But Downes’ mesmerising piano improvs, both rhythmically tricky, harmonically-fresh but never meandering, looks to a jazz piano lineage that includes Jason Moran, his mentor Jaki Byard through to Paul Bley and Keith Jarrett.

Collaborations between UK and mainland European’s contemporary jazz scene used to be a pretty regular thing only a decade ago, but alas no more. ENEMY’s new recording is an illustration of what we’re missing and why we need more of it.